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A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Group D matches played on December 11, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2015Half-centuries from Prashant Chopra (91), Robin Bist (84) and Paras Dogra (78) powered Himachal Pradesh to an 89-run win over Bengal. Sent in to bat, Himachal lost Ankush Bains early before Chopra and Bist got them going with a 157-run second-wicket stand. With that platform in place, Dogra (78 off 48 balls, 2×4, 6×6) and Rishi Dhawan (31, 26b, 4×4) exploded, putting on 101 off a mere 61 balls, eventually helping Himachal post a total of 308 for 7.Having slipped to 20 for 2 inside the fourth over, Bengal were always up against it. Sudip Chatterjee and Manoj Tiwary steadied them with a 65-run third-wicket stand, but both of them fell in a collapse that saw Bengal lose five wickets for 17 runs. From 102 for 7, Pankaj Shaw (68, 53b, 6xr, 2×6) fought alongside the lower order, but Bengal had too much left to get and too few wickets in hand. They were eventually bowled out for 219 with 13.3 overs still to play.Centuries from Sheldon Jackson and Ravindra Jadeja trumped a fighting hundred from Jalaj Saxena, as Saurashtra hung on for a seven-run win against Madhya Pradesh in Rajkot. Saurashtra, batting first, were precariously placed at 53 for 3 before Jackson and Jadeja counterattacked by adding 135 runs in 24 overs. Jackson hit 11 fours and four sixes in his 108-ball 111, while Jadeja’s 134 featured eight fours and six sixes. After Jackson was run out in the 37th over, Jadeja added a further 152 runs with Chirag Jani, who blasted 77 off 43 balls, with three fours and six sixes. Their efforts boosted Saurashtra to 340 for 5.MP began their mammoth chase positively, as the openers Jalaj and Rajat Patidar (53) put up a stand of 109 runs in 91 balls. Despite the wicket of Patidar, Jalaj kept MP within touch of the asking rate, stroking a run-a-ball 133 with 17 fours. He also received much-needed support from Naman Ojha, as the pair’s 86-run partnership deflated the Saurashtra bowlers. At 286 for 5, with Jalaj still at the crease, MP’s equation of 55 needed off 42 balls seemed doable. However, MP suffered a big blow in the 47th over, as Saurya Sanandiya (3 for 59) struck to remove Jalaj. Wickets continued to tumble after that, and MP’s final pair of Ishwar Pandey and Puneet Datey were unable to get the eight runs required off the final over, as the team was bowled out for 333.

Smith claimed career-best figures of 5 for 17 after Tammy Beaumont made 77 not out to help Sydney Thunder knock over the reigning champion Perth Scorchers

AAP22-Oct-2022Lauren Smith took a career-best 5 for 17 while Tammy Beaumont starred with the bat as Sydney Thunder belatedly kick-started their WBBL campaign in style with a surprise win over the unbeaten Perth Scorchers at the WACA.The Scorchers had few answers with the bat, eventually reaching 141 for 9 to fall 25 runs shy of their opponents as the holders slipped to a rare home defeat.Smith helped turn the screws with 3 for 13 from three overs before returning 5 for 17 from her four allotted overs.The Thunder set up a first win of the season in their fourth outing with an imposing 166 for 4 from their 20 overs.Opener Beaumont cast aside a string of low scores to hit an unbeaten 77 off 59 balls for the Thunder’s biggest tally of the season.Thunder star Rachael Haynes looked in good form before her 24-ball innings came to an end on 28.Alana King took the prized wicket of Haynes, but it was an otherwise rare off day for the international legspinner who went for 22 from her two overs.Holly Ferling debuted in Scorchers colours and soon had the scalp of Amy Jones, eventually returning 1 for 25 from three overs.In reply, the home side started strongly with 25 off the first three overs before Sophie Devine was dismissed for 12.And the Scorchers’ hopes took a nosedive as Olivia Porter scooped up a fine sprawling catch to get rid of run machine Beth Mooney.It was a second catch in a matter of minutes for the youngster who earlier chipped in with a handy unbeaten 17 off only six deliveries in just her second outing.Mooney’s dismissal marked the beginning of the end for the high-flying Scorchers who soon slipped to 48 for 5 at the midway point of the innings and facing a near impossible required run-rate they never recovered with Smith running through them.

SLC’s Illegal Bowling Action Committee has taken several steps to eradicate suspect actions with the immediate aim of ensuring their players are not pulled up during the U-19 World Cup next year

Sa'adi Thawfeeq23-Aug-2015Sri Lanka Cricket’s Illegal Bowling Action Committee (IBAC), headed by former double international Ishak Sahabdeen, has taken several steps to eradicate suspect actions with the immediate aim of ensuring their players are not pulled up during the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh next year.”At the last Under-19 World Cup held in UAE in 2014, three of our bowlers were reported for suspect actions, this is not a good sign for us as a cricketing playing nation,” said Sahabdeen, who represented Sri Lanka at cricket and hockey. “We want to make sure that we are clean at the next World Cup.”As a first step, Sahabdeen said seven bowlers would be sent to the ICC-accredited testing centre for suspected bowling actions in Chennai to be assessed ahead of the Under-19 World Cup.To curb this problem the IBAC will also come down firmly on school coaches, who after a period of time could have their coaching license suspended or cancelled if they fail to report or correct bowlers with suspect actions.”With the under-13 and under-19 seasons commencing in the first week of September, we have requested the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association to register each certificate number of the respective coaches, like they register the players,” Sahabdeen said.Sahabdeen said the IBAC had also decided to ban school cricketers from wearing long sleeves, elbow guards, skins and tubing while bowling so that their elbows are exposed. This rule will be implemented from September.According to Sahabdeen, 80% of the 170 bowlers reported in domestic cricket this year, from under-13 age group to the Premier League, were offspinners. “These bowlers try to bowl the doosra and the faster ball and eventually end up being reported for throwing because they exceed the 15-degree limit.” Only 41 of those 170 bowlers have been cleared by the IBAC, and Sahabdeen fears the other 129 will have their careers curtailed because nothing can be done about their actions.Sahabdeen held the coaches responsible. “There are two sides to it. In most instances it is their ignorance of what constitutes an illegal delivery and the other is that they don’t want to correct the bowler’s action or report him as it would reduce his effectiveness and the team’s performances would suffer eventually.”In order to educate and create awareness among school and club coaches, the IBAC printed posters in three languages – Sinhala, English and Tamil – which are to be displayed at all school and club grounds and on notice boards of schools and clubs. The IBAC also brought Richard Dunne, the ICC human resources manager, to educate the coaches on suspect bowling actions – workshops were conducted in Colombo, Galle, Dambulla and Kandy with a total of 160 coaches attending.Apart from Sahabdeen, the IBAC comprises former Sri Lanka fast bowlers Graeme Labrooy and Eric Upashantha, along with umpires’ educator Tyron Wijewardene and Head of Coaching Unit Jerome Jayaratne. Sahabdeen said the drive to eradicate illegal bowling gathered momentum after Sri Lanka offspinner Sachitra Senanayake was reported for a suspect action during the tour of England in 2014.

Ben Stokes is ready to take on greater responsibility with the ball if that is the role handed to him for the Test matches against Pakistan in the UAE

Andrew McGlashan and Melinda Farrell01-Oct-2015Ben Stokes is ready to take on greater responsibility with the ball if that is the role handed to him for the Test matches against Pakistan in the UAE.England will spend the first two weeks of the tour – which includes two two-day warm-up matches in Sharjah – fine-tuning the make-up of their side for the first Test in Abu Dhabi, beginning on October 13, and some of the decisions they face are not simple.Alastair Cook lauded England’s adaptability as the team travelled to the UAE, pinpointing the phalanx of allrounders at his disposal. Stokes is central to that, along with Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel while Joe Root’s offspin could also see greater service on this trip.Although the prevailing feeling is that Moeen is favourite to open the batting ahead of Alex Hales, which could pave the way for a six-man bowling attack including four quicks, there remains a chance that England could go with three fast men, which would bring Stokes’ all-round role even more to the forefront of the team. In his 16-Test career to date he has only ever been one of four fast bowlers.”There will be a lot more responsibility on me when I come on to bowl,” Stokes told ESPNcricinfo. “I might not bowl as much as I have in the summer, because it’s more friendly to spinners out there, but when I do get the ball I’ll have to realise how much expectation there is on me as a third seamer because it’s hot, hard conditions to be a seam bowler in the UAE. I like added responsibility and think it brings the best out of my cricket.”Stokes began the last English summer in dramatic style with an all-round display against New Zealand at Lord’s that went down as one of England’s finest. He scored 92 on the opening day after England were tottering on 30 for 4, then struck the fastest hundred on the ground in the second innings, before a thrilling burst with the ball on the final day when he removed the lynchpin pair of Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum in consecutive deliveries.His next four Tests only brought three wickets before he produced a dramatic display in the second innings at Trent Bridge, claiming 6 for 36 to help England secure the Ashes in barely more than two days. The eye-catching feature of that performance was the prodigious swing, and though it was conventional movement on that day Stokes is also capable of reversing the ball when conditions allow, which is something that could come into play on this tour.”We do a lot of work with reverse swing leading up to tours where it can reverse so we will probably be doing quite a lot of work on that leading up to the Test series. Most of us know the characteristics and skills of reverse swing.”For Stokes, this will be his first taste of Test cricket against Asian opposition in their conditions and even though the prospect of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel looms over Christmas and New Year he believes the first phase of England’s overseas travels will be the most daunting.”We’ve had two series at home in our conditions which we all know, so the big thing for us is we are going to play in foreign conditions,” he said. “UAE will be the most challenging one, last time we didn’t do very well, but you want to test yourself against the best in the world in the hardest conditions.”

“One of my goals and dreams the last year was to break into England’s top four”

Valkerie Baynes14-Jul-2022No sooner had Sophia Dunkley established herself in England’s middle order, she set her sights on making a place in the top-four her own. No sooner had England switched focus to the next Women’s World Cup cycle, she is doing just that.In her first international outing at No. 3, Dunkley scored 22 from 24 balls as England convincingly beat South Africa in their first of three ODIs at Northampton. The knock was in keeping with her proactive batting style, which Dunkley said she was reluctant to give up heading into the second match at Bristol on Friday. It was also a key part of England’s bid to shake up their batting line-up, with the successful addition of new opener Emma Lamb and Danni Wyatt shuffling back down into the middle order.”One of my goals and dreams the last year was to break into England’s top four,” Dunkley said. “So the fact that I have an opportunity now to bat at three, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s something I’ve done in regional cricket for the last two years, so not completely new, but obviously a different level in internationals.”Naturally the bowling’s a little bit tighter, you don’t get as many bad balls, and you get a lot of pressure built on you in the powerplay, so it’s about learning how to deal with that and how I want to go about it. It’s probably not going to come overnight, and the next two games might not go as well as I’d like, but it’s about building for the future, how I see myself doing that role in the long term.”Dunkley’s first knock as England’s No. 3 included three powerful fours, driven through cover and twice hammered past long-on before she fell lbw to Nadine de Klerk.”I don’t want to take away too much of my natural aggression and intent because I think that’s still really important to push us on as a team,” she added. “So it’s finding the balance really and just doing the low-risk things for longer. I’ve had some good practice in the nets so I’m feeling good.”Related

• Sophia Dunkley sets sights on top-four batting spot for England

• Danni Wyatt set for return to middle-order despite World Cup semi-final century

• Lamb's maiden ton, all-round Sciver, fiery Brunt help England go 1-0 up

• Emma Lamb seizes England's opening vacancy on 'amazing' day in Northampton

• Nadine de Klerk: Ismail available, South Africa must up intensity

When opener Tammy Beaumont fell in just the third over of the match, Dunkley had the best view in the house as Lamb carved out a maiden century in just her fourth international appearance.Lamb had opened alongside Beaumont in the drawn Test which kicked of the multi-format series between the sides in Taunton last month and took a massive step towards establishing herself at the very top of the order in the ODI format with her knock.”Emma batted outstanding in the last game,” Dunkley said. “I’m so pleased for her. I’ve played a lot of cricket with her growing up, and grown up with her in the academy, so when we were batting together we were joking about how it was like the old times and it was nice that we could do that in an England shirt together.”It was amazing to watch her do her thing and show the world that she deserves to be an England opener, so I’m sure it’s the first of many for Emma.”It will be one day shy of 13 months since Dunkley made her Test debut against India – also in Bristol – where she notched up an unbeaten 74 in a keenly contested draw.She went on to play an important part in the white-ball part of India’s tour before finishing the English summer playing in all five ODIs against New Zealand. A trip to Australia as part of England’s ill-fated Ashes tour was followed by the World Cup, where she made a couple of half-centuries, including in England’s semi-final defeat of South Africa.”Personally it’s been a pretty crazy year and there’s been a lot of different cricket, playing in an Ashes and a World Cup was a surreal experience,” she said. “Now coming in batting at three is something different so yeah, it’s been lots of experiences, ups and downs, but a great year of cricket all round.”And she was expecting South Africa to come back fighting after a muted display in the first ODI, when their batting failed to fire. Katherine Brunt returned to international action with an imposing first spell and figures of 3 for 18 from nine overs before Chloe Tryon’s 88 gave the tourists some hope. Then their bowlers struggled against Lamb’s accomplished display and a brutal 55 off just 36 balls from Nat Sciver, who had also taken four wickets.South Africa’s bowling could be boosted by the return of Shabnim Ismail, who is available for selection in what would be her first appearance of the tour after recovering from a calf strain, with England leading four points to two.”We bowled really well in the first innings last game and it made it really hard for them to get a big score on the board,” Dunkley said. “Credit to our bowlers and Katherine up front bowling in that amazing spell, five overs for five runs.”We’re just really clear as a batting unit that we want to go out and be positive, so it was a great to be able to put that into practice and we definitely put pressure on their bowlers so I’m sure they’re going to come back hard at us in the next game.”

Former England international will join Auckland’s support staff after New Zealand’s European tour

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2022Luke Wright, who was recently appointed to New Zealand’s support staff for the forthcoming tours to Ireland, Scotland, and Netherlands, has now got a new gig with Auckland as their performance and talent coach. He will start working with Auckland from September after New Zealand’s tour to Europe.Wright’s wife is an Aucklander and he himself had played for Auckland in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Super Smash tournaments, scoring 188 runs in ten innings and taking two wickets.Related

• Richard Gleeson the pick of the wildcards as Hundred's final selections loom

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“I really enjoyed my time on the pitch with the team but it was the memories of how my family and I were treated that stood out,” Wright said.”My core values as a coach are to build relationships and belief in players. When players have confidence and belief, amazing things can happen. I can’t wait.”Auckland head coach Doug Watson is looking forward to working with Wright.”He will bring fresh ideas to our set-up and has a good understanding of our team culture,” Watson said. “Having someone of the calibre of Luke in our setup will be great for the development of the players and our overall team environment.”Wright was part of the England side that won the T20 World Cup in 2010 in the Caribbean. He scored 90 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 123.28 and though he bowled only one over in the tournament, it was a crucial one, as he took the wicket of Cameron White in the final against Australia.On the coaching front, Wright has had stints with Melbourne Stars (BBL), Rajshahi Kings (BPL) and Southern Vipers women (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy).

The game is a must-win fixture for both teams, sitting fifth and sixth on the points table

Matt Roller11-Aug-2021Northern Superchargers men’s fixture against Manchester Originals is set to go ahead as scheduled on Thursday night, despite two players testing positive for Covid-19.All players in the Hundred are required to take regular lateral flow tests before training and matchdays, and two unnamed Superchargers players returned positive results on Monday, as ESPNcricinfo revealed.Related

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• Superchargers game in doubt as two players return positive lateral flow tests

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The results were subsequently confirmed by PCR tests and the affected players have been self-isolating away from the rest of the squad.The players are not expected to be named until Thursday’s toss. The fixture is a must-win for both sides: with two group games remaining, Originals are fifth and Superchargers are sixth, with the top three qualifying for next week’s knockout stages.If the fixture had been cancelled, the final group table would have been decided on points-per-game, which would have dealt a severe blow to both teams’ knockout hopes.”Two Northern Superchargers men’s players have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unavailable for tomorrow night’s fixture against Manchester Originals at Emerald Headingley,” a statement confirmed.”After returning positive tests, they have been isolating as per the government guidance. No other members of the squad have been impacted and the group continue to undertake daily tests as per the competition’s guidelines.”A spokesperson also confirmed that the players would be ruled out of Northern Superchargers’ final group fixture, against Birmingham Phoenix on August 17.The players are the first to test positive in the Hundred. Four members of coaching staff – three at Trent Rockets, including Andy Flower, and Shane Warne at London Spirit – have previously been forced to self-isolate after positive tests.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has been shot at while travelling in his car to the National Stadum in Karachi. Reports in the Pakistan media indicate that he is safe

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2015Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is safe after being involved in a road-rage shooting incident in Karachi. He was on his way to the National Stadium for a fast-bowling camp when the attack occurred.Akram told , a Pakistan television channel, that was he was “in shock” and that he had noted the car number and given it to the police.”Wasim was driving himself, and the car next to him tried to jam his car to one side and opened fire. He did not get hit, he is now at the National Stadium, dealing with police formalities,” Arsalan Hyder, Akram’s manager, told ESPNcricinfo.Deputy Inspector General of Karachi East, Munir Sheikh, said it was a case of road rage. “According to preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be a case of road rage. But we cannot say clearly what the motive behind the attack on Wasim Akram was,” Sheikh told reporters outside the National Stadium. “We have identified the car from CCTV footage and will have the suspect in custody in a couple of hours.”

The PCB is set to introduce 10 day-night matches, to be played with the pink ball, in its forthcoming domestic first-class season starting September

Umar Farooq14-Jun-2016The PCB is set to introduce 10 day-night matches to be played with the pink ball in its forthcoming domestic first-class season starting in September. The idea will be implemented in Quaid-e-Azam (QEA) Trophy matches, including the semi-final and final, to ensure every top team is acquainted with the new conditions. The governing board of the PCB approved the idea recommended by the domestic cricket committee as Pakistan are set to play their first pink-ball Test against Australia in Brisbane in December.The format of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy has been retained from last year; it had changed almost every second year on average, and last season’s revamp was the third such change in the last five years. There has been a change in the one-day structure though. The National One-Day Cup, which featured 16 teams divided into two pools last season, has now been split into two tournaments – one with eight regional teams and the other with eight department teams. The Pakistan Cup, which replaced the Pentangular Cup recently, will continue to have five provincial teams. The domestic season will kick-off with the National Super Eight T20 Cup in the last week of August.

PCB increases match fees across formats

The PCB has increased the match fees of all players across formats by 100%. Each international player who is centrally contracted with PCB will get 50% of the international match fee of the same format in domestic cricket, to encourage them to play domestic competitions. Players for all the national limited-overs tournaments will be picked through a draft process, relinquishing the traditional way of selecting players.

The QEA Trophy will be played by 16 teams, and 12 of those – six regional and six departmental – will gain automatic qualification on the basis of their performance last season. The last four places will be filled through a qualifying round introduced by the PCB, which will be played between 14 teams. The top two regional and departmental teams will qualify for the main tournament.The day-night first-class schedule has been designed with a focus on the top teams, to give ample exposure to national cricketers ahead of the Brisbane Test. The PCB has been encouraging the pink-ball trial for the last six years, though they did not extend the experiment beyond a few games. In 2010-11, the final of the QEA Trophy was played with an orange ball in Karachi and the 2011-12 final was played with a pink ball. Earlier this year, the QEA final between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, led by Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, and United Bank, captained by Younis Khan, received mixed reactions.Though the PCB was pleased with the trial, the major concern among the players was the visibility of the ball and its quality once it got older. Most of the players backed having more games with the pink ball to get familiar with its behaviour.

Western Australia veteran calls time after 22 years of Shield cricket and 38 Tests for Australia

Tristan Lavalette10-Mar-2023Shaun Marsh has retired from first-class cricket after 22 years of service for Western Australia at Sheffield Shield level, and 38 Test matches for Australia.Marsh made his first-class debut at the age of 17 for WA in 2001, and achieved a career-long ambition to win a Sheffield Shield title last season where he captained in the final in the absence of his brother Mitchell Marsh.At 39, Marsh decided to play another season in 2022-23, but he has been plagued by injury and has only managed one Shield game this summer.Having just returned to Perth club cricket after a fractured finger, Marsh’s retirement is effective immediately, meaning he won’t be part of WA’s bid to defend their title. They play Victoria at the WACA next week before hosting the final starting on March 23.”This year in particular has been really hard,” Marsh told reporters. “It wasn’t the way I planned it after winning the Shield final last year.”I had great expectations of myself to win another Shield but through injuries it hasn’t worked out how I wanted it to.”Marsh finishes as WA’s third-highest run scorer in the Shield, tallying 8347 runs including 20 centuries. His 122 matches is the second-most in WA’s history behind former captain Tom Moody.But at a training session on Tuesday, he realised his indefatigable first-class career was over.”I batted for about 20 minutes and the quicks came over…I said to V [WA coach Adam Voges] that I’m done and want to do my weights [session],” Marsh said. “I probably did half my weights [session]. I walked out and thought, ‘that’s not me’. Over the last 24 hours it hit home that my time is done.”It’s been an amazing journey, never in my wildest dreams did I think that I’d be here for 22 years and that’s something that I’m very proud of.”Father and son – Shaun and Geoff Marsh pose with the Sheffield Shield title•Getty Images

Marsh paid special tribute to his father Geoff Marsh, a former Test opener and coach for Australia.”That’s where I found the love of the game as a young kid when I was watching dad play,” he said. “From a young age all I wanted to do was be like him and he’s had a massive impact on my career.”Long touted as a Test star, having struck his maiden first-class ton as a 19-year-old against a strong New South Wales side featuring Steve and Mark Waugh, Marsh enjoyed a spectacular debut in 2011 with a century against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.He loomed as Ricky Ponting’s natural successor at No. 3 but suffered a calamitous form slump against India at home in 2011-12, where he scored just 17 runs in six innings.Inconsistency and injuries became a bane for the left-handed Marsh, whose stylish batting marked by elegant cover drives ensured he continued to tempt the national selectors.But he was an enigma at the crease and, similarly to younger sibling Mitchell, suffered wrath from fans left frustrated by the gulf of his performances.Marsh’s highest Test score of 182 was made against West Indies in Hobart in 2015, where he combined in a 449-run fourth wicket stand with Voges. It remains the second-highest partnership in Australia’s Test history.His Test pinnacle was arguably during the 2017-18 Ashes series, where he struck centuries in Adelaide and Sydney. At the SCG, Marsh memorably shared a 169-run partnership with Mitchell, who also scored a ton. It was the last of his six centuries, but he played a further 10 Tests over the next two years.”Any time you get to represent your country…those memories will last forever,” he said.Marsh finished with 2265 Test runs at an average of 34.31, playing his last Test in January 2019 against India after providing a veteran presence following the sandpaper scandal. He has enjoyed enjoyed more success in ODI cricket with an average of 40.77 from 73 matches and seven centuries.Marsh, who turns 40 in July, is set to continue in the BBL. He has one season left on his deal with Melbourne Renegades.